Question Number: 22766

Law 14 - Penalty kick 1/29/2010

RE: Professional

ahmad of Accra, ghana asks...

This question is a follow up to question 95665000

is a player allowed to run then stop before shooting

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

This question usually involves a penalty kick, and the answer is yes. FIFA permits feints at the taking of a penalty kick and stopping the run and then taking the shot is considered a feint.

The referee must decide when the action is so extreme that it moves from lawful feints to unlawful unsporting behavior (e.g., excessive delays while the kicker runs to the ball, past it, backs up, and then runs around again).

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Ahmad
I assume the question applies to the taking of a penalty kick. The referee has to decide if the feinting, which is allowed at a penalty, becomes an act of unsporting behaviour. The Law does not define unsporting feinting and it is left to the opinion of the referee on the day. If the referee decides that it is unsporting behaviour and a goal is scored the player is cautioned and the penalty is retaken.
What makes it an unsporting act?
In my opinion an example is where the penalty taker runs up, pretends to kick the ball, goalkeeper clearly dives and then he kicks the ball into the goal after the goalkeeper has dived to the opposite side. There is also degrees of that with say a stop in the run up and the keeper here has done nothing and the kick is then taken in the normal way. That is not unsporting IMO. Remember as well that the goalkeeper cannot move off the line until the ball is kicked.

Answer provided by Referee Gene Nagy

Ahmad, there is guidance in he Laws of the Game (LOTG) regarding this topic. In advice to referees, Law 14, it says:
Feinting to take a penalty kick to confuse opponents is permitted as
part of football. However, if, in the opinion of the referee, the feinting
is considered an act of unsporting behaviour, the player must be
cautioned.
Instructors here in Canada told me in the past that a kicker of a penalty kick (PK) is allowed to stop and go but if he steps over the ball and then kicks, it is regarded as a caution. However, since you do not make it clear whether the incident is a PK or some other type of kick, I must say that stepping over the ball to allow another person to take the kick in any other type of free kick is allowed. The motion of kicking where the foot goes over the ball as a feint is OK for all kicks but not PKs. Even in goal kicks it is OK as long as the kicker is not time wasting.
Now if you are not talking PKs or free kicks, I would keep running if somebody is shooting!

Answer provided by Referee Tom Stagliano

Ahmad

As a referee, at the taking of a PK, I will allow more feinting or slowing/stopping the farther the kicker is away from the ball.

However, once the kicker plants the Plant-Foot near the ball, and the kicking foot is moving toward the ball, That is when I get Very Picky about what is allowed and what is unsporting.

As a former goalkeeper: They can feint, stop, etc. when they are too far way from the ball to kick it. However, when they are in a position to actually kick the ball, they should Kick the Ball.

The following questions were asked as a follow up to the above question...

See Question: 22791